Review of Sierra Nevada Estate 2009

Last week during my winter break from work, I was able to sit down and drink another great Sierra Nevada beer. This time it was the Estate 2009 brew. Yes, it was a little over priced, $9.99 for a 24oz, but well worth the experience.

The unique feature about this beer is that the hops are grown on-site at the brewery in Chico, CA. As you can see from the photo to the right, the beer has a thick foam when poured and it has a deep copper, orange color that extends to the foam head. It also has a pretty significant haze to it. The aroma is all hops, with a hint of a citrus grapefruit note. When you start drinking, it begins bitter and continues bitter, with lots of hops and a little higher than expected carbonation level. The body is big, I mean really big. There’s no lack of malt in this beer and the malty sweetness fills out the palate. Caramel, apricot and mild fruity notes complement the citrus hop aroma. Over all this beer is an excellent IPA, but not for the faint of hearts. If you don’t like the sharp bitterness of an IPA, stay clear, but if you do, shell out the $10 and drink yourself into heaven.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010, 9:19 PM and is filed under Beer Review.
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